(Rev 9:1, 2) And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. [2] And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.The purpose of this little study is not to come to a complete understanding and interpretation of the various passages that use this term. Rather it is intended to note those things that are found to be in common with the various usages of "the bottomless pit."
By doing so, we may see the limits of interpretation which the Lord Himself has placed upon these passages. This should help to remove some of the 'mystery' surrounding this topic.
These observations are simple and allow us to reach some simple conclusions, even before we make any attempt to decipher the various symbols associated with "the bottomless pit."
There are clearly some common denominators with respect to the bottomless pit.
1. | It can be opened. |
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9:1,2; 20:1,3 |
2. | It seems to require a key to open or close it. |
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9:1,2; 20:1,3 |
3. | Once opened, things come out of it - thus it is not a place of permanent or final confinement nor of destruction. |
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9:2; 11:7; 17:8; 20:3 ("he must be loosed") |
1. | Smoke (locust - the locust come out of the smoke) |
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9:2, 3 | |
2. | The Beast |
11:7; 17:8 | |
3. | The dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan |
20:2, 3 | |